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No Elbow Room on Redwood Shores Levee

Back in 1996, environmentalists feared that if the Army Corps issued Redwood City a permit to upgrade the levee surrounding Redwood Shores, new development - and new impacts on the endangered species living in the marsh - would result. The permit was issued, 100 new homes were built, and now the endangered clapper rail and salt marsh harvest marsh are paying the price, say environmentalists, as walkers, joggers, bicyclists and dogs dominate the levee trail. Although the city agreed to fence and gate off the levee and build an alternative interior trail along part of the levee, according to Ralph Nobles with the Friends of Redwood City, it has done none of those things, causing regulatory agencies to issues warnings and Redwood Shores residents to rise up in arms (and even seek help from their congressman) over possible restrictions on trail access.

In November, the Sequoia Audubon Society sent the city a 60-day notice of intent to sue under the Endangered Species Act, which, says Nobles, seemed to finally make the city realize the seriousness of the situation. In response, the city has proposed a "compromise" solution in which it would hire a guard to enforce a no-dog rule and protect predator-control traps, as well as to close the gates to the levee at night and during extreme high tides when the rails and mice need refuge from the rising waters.

U.S. Fish & Wildlife's Ken Sanchez says the proposal is too vague, and adds that the rails and mice need to use the levee more often than just during extreme high tides. "The city got their houses, and the rails and mice got this little marsh," says Sanchez. "It's just too small an area to manage all of these competing interests." Redwood City Councilperson Colleen Jordan disagrees. "I think there are solutions that will satisfy both the objectives of the Endangered Species Act and the public who would like to continue to use those trails," says Jordan.

Craig Breon of Sequoia Audubon points out that to protect the rail and mouse, only 1.5-2 miles of levee would actually be closed off, and that the rest of the levee - approximately 7 miles - would remain accessible to everyone. "I sympathize with people who like the continuity of the trail," says Breon, "but at the same time we're dealing with lots of lay people who don't comprehend the impacts they're having. They think that just because they don't see dead rails there's not a problem."

One thing everyone seems to agree on is that the city should not only live up to its promises but also make a concerted effort to boost mice and rail numbers so that those species can eventually be delisted. One way to help increase numbers might be to create additional marsh habitat nearby. In the meantime, says Breon, "the city made some really poor development choices and now they're dealing with the consequences."

Contact: Craig Breon (408)252-3748 or Ken Sanchez (916)414-6625

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